Paul University, Awka is a private Christian university in Anambra State, established in 2009 by the Bishops of the five Ecclesiastical Provinces of the Anglican Communion, East of the Niger. It operates from its take-off site at the former St. Paul’s College, Awka, while development continues on its permanent site along the Awka-Enugu expressway at Oji River. Anyone planning to apply for the 2026/2027 academic session needs to know two distinct figures before choosing a course: the JAMB national cut-off mark that applies to every Nigerian university, and Paul University’s own admission threshold, which determines eligibility for its Post-UTME screening exercise. This article sets out both figures clearly, lists the faculties and courses currently on offer, and explains how the final admission decision is actually reached.
Understanding the JAMB Cut Off Mark
The JAMB cut-off mark is the minimum UTME score a candidate needs before becoming eligible to apply to any Nigerian university in a given admission cycle. This figure is set annually at the JAMB Policy Meeting on Admissions, where the Minister of Education, vice chancellors, rectors, provosts, and heads of regulatory agencies agree on the minimum admissible scores for each category of tertiary institution. At the 2026 Policy Meeting held in Abuja in May 2026, stakeholders retained 150 as the national minimum cut-off mark for university admission, while polytechnics and colleges of education were fixed at 100. This means that, for the 2026/2027 admission cycle, no university in Nigeria, whether federal, state, or private, can legally admit a candidate who scored below 150 in the UTME.
This national minimum is separate from what an individual university sets as its own institutional cut-off mark, which is usually equal to or higher than the JAMB floor and can vary further by course, faculty, and level of competitiveness. Meeting the national minimum only makes a candidate eligible to be considered by a university; each institution still applies its own screening process and departmental thresholds before offering admission.
Paul University’s Cut Off Mark for 2026/2027
Paul University operates its Post-UTME and Direct Entry screening for the 2026/2027 session through its official admission channels, with the university’s baseline requirement set at or above the JAMB national minimum of 150. In line with the general pattern followed by private universities admitting for this cycle, the entry point to open an active application profile on Paul University’s screening portal typically sits between 140 and 150 and above, depending on how competitive the chosen course is, though candidates must still meet the mandatory JAMB national floor of 150 to be eligible at all. Courses with higher demand relative to available slots, particularly Law and the newer Allied Health Sciences programmes, tend to require scores meaningfully above this baseline, while less competitive Arts, Management, and general Science courses tend to sit closer to the minimum.
Because Paul University reviews and communicates its exact departmental cut-off marks each session through its own admission office and screening portal rather than fixing a single number that remains constant every year, prospective students should treat any specific course-by-course figure found outside the university’s official channels as a guide rather than a confirmed current benchmark. The safest approach is to use the general competitiveness pattern below to judge where a chosen course falls, then confirm the precise figure once JAMB results are released and the university opens its screening portal for the session.
Faculties and Courses Currently Offered at Paul University
Paul University now runs six academic faculties, a notable expansion from the three faculties it operated with in its earlier years, along with its long-standing Institute of Theology. The current faculty structure is as follows:
- Faculty of Arts — covering programmes such as English and Literary Studies, History and International Relations, Religious Studies, and Theatre Arts.
- Faculty of Administration and Management Sciences — covering Accountancy, Banking and Finance, Business Administration, Economics, Health Information Management, Library and Information Science, Management and Entrepreneurial Studies, Marketing, Mass Communication, Political Science, Psychology, Public Administration, and Sociology.
- Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences — covering Biochemistry, Botany, Computer Science, Management Information System, Microbiology, Pure and Industrial Chemistry, Pure Mathematics, and Zoology.
- Faculty of Engineering — a more recently developed faculty offering engineering-related degree programmes.
- Faculty of Law — offering the Bachelor of Laws (LLB), with programmes approved by the National Universities Commission (NUC).
- Faculty of Allied Health Sciences (formerly Faculty of Allied Medical Sciences) — the university’s newest faculty, which received a resource visitation from the NUC in November 2024 and now offers medically related courses such as Nursing Science and Medical Laboratory Science.
- Institute of Theology — inherited from the defunct St. Paul’s University College, offering theological training alongside the university’s degree-awarding faculties.
Table: General Cut-Off Pattern by Faculty
The table below summarises the general competitiveness pattern that has applied at Paul University in recent admission cycles, organised by faculty. This is a guide to relative competitiveness and should not be read as the university’s officially published figure for 2026/2027; candidates should always confirm the exact departmental cut-off mark through the university’s own screening portal once it opens for the session.
| Faculty | Example Courses | General Cut-Off Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| Faculty of Allied Health Sciences | Nursing Science, Medical Laboratory Science | Highest tier among Paul University’s courses, given strong demand and NMCN/MLSCN-linked regulation |
| Faculty of Law | Law (LLB) | High tier, reflecting national competitiveness for Law across Nigerian universities |
| Faculty of Engineering | Engineering programmes | Moderate to high tier, at or above the JAMB national minimum |
| Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences | Computer Science, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Pure and Industrial Chemistry | At or slightly above the JAMB national minimum |
| Faculty of Administration and Management Sciences | Accountancy, Business Administration, Mass Communication, Economics | At or close to the JAMB national minimum |
| Faculty of Arts | English and Literary Studies, History and International Relations | At or close to the JAMB national minimum |
| Institute of Theology | Theology | At or close to the JAMB national minimum |
How Admission Decisions Are Actually Made
Scoring above the cut-off mark makes a candidate eligible for consideration; it does not automatically secure a place. Paul University, like most Nigerian universities, arrives at a final admission decision using an aggregate score that combines the candidate’s JAMB result with performance in the university’s own screening process and, in many cases, O’Level grades. The standard method used across Nigerian institutions adds the JAMB score to the Post-UTME/screening score and divides the total by two to produce the aggregate. For example, a candidate with a JAMB score of 170 and a screening score of 70 would have an aggregate of (170 + 70) ÷ 2 = 120. Because slots for each course are limited, especially in Law and the Allied Health Sciences programmes, candidates who only meet the minimum cut-off mark are not guaranteed a place if stronger applicants are competing for the same course.
Basic Admission Requirements
In addition to the JAMB score, Paul University requires candidates to satisfy standard O’Level conditions before being considered for any course. This generally includes a minimum of five credit passes in relevant subjects, obtained at not more than two sittings, in WAEC, NECO, or an equivalent examination, always including English Language and Mathematics. The specific subject combination required beyond these two core credits depends on the course: science-based programmes in the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Engineering, and Allied Health Sciences typically require credits in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, while Law requires strong grades in English Language, Literature-in-English, and Government or History, and Arts and Management courses require relevant arts, social science, or commercial subject credits. Candidates without a fresh UTME result can also apply through Direct Entry using IJMB, JUPEB, A-Level, NCE, or ND/HND results, which follows a parallel admission route with its own subject-combination requirements rather than a JAMB cut-off mark.
Steps to Apply for the 2026/2027 Session
- Sit for the UTME and score at least 150, the confirmed JAMB national minimum for university admission in the 2026/2027 cycle.
- Select Paul University, Awka as an institution of choice on the JAMB portal, or complete a change of institution through JAMB’s e-Facility if it was not the original first choice.
- Purchase and complete the university’s Post-UTME/Direct Entry admission form through its official admission channels.
- Participate in the screening exercise, which reviews UTME performance, O’Level results, and subject combination for the chosen course.
- Await the release of the admission list, which reflects the aggregate score computed from JAMB and screening results, then accept the offer and proceed with registration and fee payment within the given deadline.
Why the Cut-Off Mark Varies From Year to Year
A cut-off mark from a previous admission cycle is not a fixed guarantee for the next one. The figure a university sets each session depends on factors such as the general performance of that year’s UTME candidates nationwide, how many applicants are competing for a specific course, the admission quota approved by the NUC for that course, and the university’s own facilities and staffing capacity, which matters particularly for newer programmes such as those in the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences and the Faculty of Engineering. Because of this, candidates preparing for the 2026/2027 session should treat any cut-off figure encountered outside Paul University’s official portal as a general indicator of competitiveness, and should confirm the exact current threshold directly from the university once their own UTME result and the session’s screening details are released.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum JAMB score required for Paul University in 2026/2027?
The confirmed national minimum for university admission in the 2026/2027 session is 150, as fixed at the JAMB Policy Meeting held in May 2026. Paul University, as a private university, admits at or above this national floor and sets its exact departmental thresholds through its own admission office and screening portal.
Does meeting the cut-off mark guarantee admission at Paul University?
No. Meeting the cut-off mark only qualifies a candidate for consideration. The final admission decision depends on the aggregate score derived from the candidate’s JAMB result and screening performance, weighed against the number of available slots for the chosen course.
Which courses at Paul University typically require the highest JAMB scores?
Programmes in the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, such as Nursing Science, and the Faculty of Law have historically been the most competitive, given strong applicant demand and the regulatory bodies governing these professions. Courses in the Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Administration and Management Sciences, and the Institute of Theology have generally required scores closer to the JAMB national minimum.
Can a candidate gain admission into Paul University without a fresh JAMB result?
Yes. Candidates with qualifying results such as IJMB, JUPEB, A-Level, NCE, or an ND/HND can apply through the Direct Entry route, which follows its own O’Level and subject-combination requirements rather than a JAMB UTME cut-off mark.